


Remnants

by ULTIOcean



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura is a Good Friend, Always, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Changing the past, Crying, Death, Don't Wanna Spoil Anything, Dunno what else to say, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief, Hurt/Comfort, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance is done with everything, M/M, Murder, Not Really Important, Past Timeline, Sadness, So much angst, So much death, Temporary Character Death, Violence, a lot of swearing and cursing, and also after the fight of naxzela, future timeline, lance doesn't take anyone's shit, lot of bombs and explosions, messing with time a little, set at the beggining of s4, she tries her best, some fluff i suppose, some minor ocs for plot purposes, the good stuff, trust me - Freeform, you'll see why later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-16 21:35:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13062615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ULTIOcean/pseuds/ULTIOcean
Summary: In a reality where everything has gone wrong, Lance finds himself alone, fighting a pointless war that was lost long ago, struggling to survive while carrying the weight of a promise that pushes him to keep moving forward.Desperate and lonely, with revenge and retribution as his only objectives, the only thing he has left, he lives on, longing for the day he would see his loved ones again, carrying the memories of happier times close to his heart.A chance encounter on a dying planet makes for a turning point in his wrecked life, and he swears to do his best effort to prevent his past self from commiting the same mistakes he once did, trying to guide him towards a brigther future.To do so, he writes a letter to the past, hoping his other self is brave where he’d been a coward, praying he will be able to right the wrongs that once sent his world -and the universe- crashing down.He didn’t want him to suffer as he did.





	Remnants

**Author's Note:**

> Aaand here we go again, don't kill me please, i had been toying with this idea for ages, and this chapter was half written already, so i sat down on my birthday (the 17th) and wrote all weekend to finish the first chapter of this short story.
> 
> Re:do is giving me grief, i have one chapter done, but the next....writer's block sucks, so i decided to focus on this one for a while to relax, and the inspiration was strong, man.
> 
> It will have a happy ending, yes, but just a warning, this is an angst fest, just saying.
> 
> Also, for updates, this fic will not have a set schedule, which means, when i have a chapter done, it will be posted, when will that be? No idea, but it'll be probably short, three chapters at best, so no worries, a few months at best and it'll probably be done. But no promises, altough the ending is already planned :)
> 
> Also, have in mind that a looot of death is in this fic, and the next chapter will probably be the angst and death parade, so you know what youre getting into if you read this. But no fear, everything will be okay in the end, i promise. <3se

  **Remnant (noun)**

_'A part or quantity that is left after the greater part has been used, removed, or destroyed.'_

* * *

 

Lance shifted his gaze to the right again as he rolled his eyes, sighing for the umpteenth time. He ran a hand through the curls on his lower back, trying to undo the knots that had formed there in an attempt to relax and calm his restlessness, tugging a bit harder than needed when the motions didn't work and he felt like exploding right then and there.

He looked back at the four armed alien before him as the other babbled on and on about shit that Lance didn't care about in the least, and he hissed when his right eye caught a small stream of light from the cracked lamps above. The wretched thing was more of a liability than anything these days, and he would have preferred to be completely blind rather than nearly blind, since the appendage only caused him dizziness and vertigo if it so much as gazed into any kind of bright light -no matter how dim- or switched directions too fast.

It was also kinda useless, since he couldn't see shit, only blurry figures and sometimes shapes, but it was all distorted and hazy and completely _annoying_. He had pondered the thought of just taking the eye out himself and be done with it, gouge it out and pump himself full of drugs so he wouldn't feel jack shit and wait it out until it healed. But that would have left him bloody, tired, high, and vulnerable to an attack, and he needed to be able to defend himself, no matter how much he didn't want to.

He fidgeted as the alien continued his nonstop chatter, and he had to refrain himself from scratching at his eye, the itch getting stronger and stronger as time ticked by. But he didn't want to add to the scars of nails scrapping against skin that he already had on his eyelid, eyebrow and cheek, so he clutched both his hands tight until he could feel the pressure of his nails digging deep into his flesh, drawing blood as the force of his grip bruised the surface.

He tapped his feet in aggravation, biting his lip as the guy seemed to go on with his never ending stream of filthy excuses, his dirty cap tilting dangerously to the side as he fired word after word, not a single one of them reaching Lance's brain.

He counted up to ten ticks before he finally broke and snapped.

"I don't give a fuck about what you want or if fucking Galran patrols are coming by more often than usual. I brought your fucking Gac, the exorbitant amount you asked, so are you going to give me the supplies or not?" He glared at the grey alien, watching as the other seemed to sweat and regret ever being born, drying his forehead with some napkin laying around.

"Look, it's not that I don't want to, I know I said we had a deal over the message, but it was anonymous, I didn't see your face back then. If the Galra find out I sold anything to you....I'm as good as dead, you have to understand." Lance felt his whole facade slip, and he growled low in his throat, hand clutching at his hair in aggravation.

This was the tenth place he had visited today, all the other guys had said exactly the same thing, refusing to give him what they'd agreed on as soon as they saw his face. And the security in those fucking hell holes hadn't let him do as he pleased, so he had to run back with his hands empty and a pile of anger that grew exponentially as the day progressed.

He was tired, hungry, cranky, and more than a little irritated and full of anger that needed an outlet, and if this dude didn't give him what he asked for, he was going to find himself with a lot less limbs and one store missing as it blowed up with him inside.

"Look, you coward son of a- I don't care what the hell happens to you or this shitty store, either you fulfil our agreement, or I blow this shithole up and I take whatever I want from the rubble, your choice." The alien's eyes widened and he gaped like a fish out of water, disbelief clear in his features. What, did he expect for him to be nice and go all _'Yeah, okay, see you another time'_ and go back the way he came?

_As if._

"You wouldn't dare, there are Galra everywhere, you wouldn't make it out of here alive." Lance felt himself smirk, full of wickedness and more than a little madness, mouth stretching wide as he showed his pointed teeth in a manic grin.

"Maybe, but neither would _you_. And I'm petty enough to blow us up if you don't give me what I asked for." The alien backed away slowly, hands raised in defeat.

"Look, I don't want trouble, okay? I traffic and sell drugs and stuff, but I don't want to die because I came in contact with _you_! If I sell you anything it's the end of me! They will torture me and leave nothing, not even my bones! I'm not about to dig my own grave!" The alien reached behind the counter and took out a blaster, and Lance felt like pressing the button and blowing both of them up, because honestly, the dude should have known by now -just like the rest of the universe did- that no one could win long range against _'The Blue Reaper'_.

The vendor had barely moved before Lance had taken out his bayard, in it's small revolver form, and shot a bullet right through the guy's head, the body falling with a loud thud as the room bathed in silence.

"Finally, I thought he would never shut up." He walked forward and pocketed his weapon, jumping behind the counter to look at the storage unit close by. "I didn't wanna do it, ya know? But you wouldn't listen, and I needed these supplies, things would have been better if you just did as I said and gave me my stuff." He pocketed everything that he needed before jumping back out and looking down to the dead alien and the pool of blood on the floor.

"Now you're dead and making a mess, guess it wasn't your lucky day. See you in hell someday, my dude." He gave him some finger guns and walked out of the underground store, pulling up his hood as he trekked through the black market, eyes never meeting anyone's as he focused on getting out and reaching his ship, which he affectionately dubbed _Löwe_ , a sweet thing he had stolen at an auction two years ago when no one was looking.

He smiled when he finally caught sight of her, and he boarded and set off in a swift motion, putting her on autopilot and reclining against his seat with a hum.

He was going back home for a nap.

\--

As soon as he arrived, _Löwe_ descended and entered the hangar, docking itself on the assigned place and powering off all the systems, opening the exit door so Lance was able to climb down the ramp. He got up from his seat and stretched his arms, hissing when his joints cracked, feeling worn down and heavy.

Sighing in annoyance, he quickly got the stuff he'd managed to gather from the vendor -a bunch of ammo, some medicine and an illegal amount of mini grenades, among other things- and slung his beaten down duffel bag over his shoulder, going down the stairs and towards the hangar.

Once his feet touched the ground of the ship, a sweet, melodic voice echoed throughout the room, familiar and comforting as it greeted him.

"Welcome home, Lance." The disembodied voice's tone sounded flat to his ears, but he could hear the undertone of worry and sadness permanently embedded there.

"I'm back, Allura." Lance exited the hangars and made his way down the halls and towards the east wing, the lights and systems of said area powering up as he waked by, making the castle come back to life.

He stopped as a figure emerged from the shadows, just as pretty as he remembered, her hands clasped together before her as she silently made her way towards Lance. A smile overtook his face as he watched her hair trailing behind her, bouncing softly with each step as her dress billowed like the wind was blowing a gentle breeze in her direction.

She stopped a few feet before him, smile filled with a sorrow that he had grown accustomed to, and eyes swirling with pain and regret. "How was your day? Any luck with the supply run this time?" She tilted her head like she always did when she asked a question, and Lance chuckled before shaking his head, grumbling low in his throat.

"No such luck, nobody wanted to fulfill their end of the bargain as soon as they saw my face, and I had to run around like a fucking idiot all day because of that. The last guy, specifically, was being a pain in the ass and wouldn't stop babbling excuses and shit. In the end- he sighed again- I had to blow his head off, idiot left me no choice." He pried open his good eye, and watched as Allura frowned, her expression one of anguish and despair.

She opened her mouth to say something, probably something that Lance didn't want to hear, and he decided to stop her before she could even begin, raising his hand in a _'stop'_ motion.

"Sorry 'lura, I need a shower and some clean clothes, can you go ahead and prepare dinner?" He smiled and tapped his foot like he did whenever he got anxious, and the princess nodded wordlessly and left to fulfill his request, disappearing at the end of the hallway as she turned the corner. Finally left alone, Lance sagged, and glared hard at the cracked metal floors, watching the dust that had settled in while he was away on his small trip, making the place seem more abandoned than it really was.

His trip had lasted two weeks tops, but it had been enough for the ship to get dirty and gather grime and dust in every corner available, and no matter how much Allura tried to clean the place, half the castle systems were offline, and she couldn't do everything alone.

Trying to get rid of his thoughts for the day, he took the trek to his room as fast as he could, dumping the day's findings on the floor and running towards the shower, letting out a long breath as the hot water washed away the strain in his muscles and all the shit he'd managed to get dirty with when he was on his own.

He took special care to clean his hair as thoroughly as he could, washing away the mud and filth that had transformed his mane into a rat's nest. It took at least fifteen minutes, but when it was over, he felt renewed and fresh, his mood drastically improved from ' _Wanna die'_ to _'Wanna dies less'_ , so that was a win in his book.

He dried his hair until he was sure it wasn't moist, and changed into some pajamas he took out of the wardrobe without looking -it wasn't like it mattered what he wore at this point- and as soon as he was done, he made his way to the dinning room, where he knew the princess would be waiting.

The door opened with a whirring sound, and Lance hummed when he caught Allura sitting at the table, the food she had prepared for him sitting on the seat just in front of her. Today's dinner seemed to be some sort of pasta, accompanied with a sauce that smelt like basil and peppers, and he wasted no time plopping down into his chair and stuffing his face with the stuff, moaning at how good it was.

"Damn, you really outdid yourself this time, Allura." He winked at her, and she sent him a tiny smile in return, but it didn't last long, and soon, she was frowning again, her mouth upturned in displeasure. She wringed her hands on the hem of her sleeves and bit her lip, eyes darting towards him as he ate, and he raised an eyebrow, asking a silent question.

"Lance.....how much longer do you plan on going on like this?" He swallowed the spoonful of pasta he took and looked back at her, scowling. "Don't you think it's time for you to go home? There is.....there is nothing left for you in here." He glared at her even as her gaze regarded him with sadness, and he clutched his spoon so hard that it cracked, splitting in half.

"Go _home_? _Really?_ And do _what_ , exactly? Stay there and live happily until the Galra decide to come and take over Earth too? Tell my family that I was a coward and ran away from a fight to defend the universe because I had to do it alone? Watch as the Galra massacre everyone I love and suck my planet dry like it's nothing?" She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off, not really in the mood for her pity.

"I won't go back for a few years of peace that will end in devastation and death. I'm going to stay here and destroy every single Galra that I come across, and I will do it with, or without your help." Allura bit her lip, averting her gaze to look at the floor, head bowed in defeat.

He felt kinda bad for snapping at her, but the thought of home was a sore spot for him, he wouldn't go back as a coward, a useless paladin that abandoned the universe for a few moments of reprieve, only to lose it all when the evil that had lasted for ten thousand years decided to come along and rip it all away from his hands.

He wouldn't go through that _again_ , he'd learnt his lesson a long time ago.

He decided to change the topic, hoping to snap the princess out of her moping. "So, how you've been? Any changes? Anything to report?" She glanced up, her eyes flashing momentarily green before going back to her usual blue and pink colour.

"No, the castle has been doing fine, no failure in the systems or any attempts to infiltrate or breach our walls, everything has been silent and still while you were gone." She got up from her seat and walked around the table, sitting on it just to Lance's left and brining up a holo screen. "As for me....I've been good, no changes to report, everything remains the same." Lance clicked his tongue at that, eyes darting to the holo screen that was projecting some graphics and the status of the healing pods back in the med bay.

"So you're still..." He trailed off, discouraged at the news.

"Yes." The princess closed the window that displayed the data of the healing pods, and brought up another screen, this one showing a very familiar figure, clad in the traditional Altean dress for royalty, long, curly white hair shining in the dim lights of the med bay as the ice crystals that formed from being inside the cryopod twinkled softly.

"My body is still sleeping, trapped within a coma, the wounds healed long ago, but...my mind was lost and broken to pieces, I really do not think I will ever wake up." Lance knew that, he knew it was logical and rational -from a medical point of view-, felt in his bones that she would never open her eyes again.

After all, he'd been there when she had been torn to pieces, he'd been the one to put her in the cryopod, and also the one that had transferred her memories to the ship's mainframe to preserve them and create an AI, just like it had been done with Alfor.

Still, he couldn't bring himself to let her go, he knew it wasn't fair, but he didn't want to be alone.

"I see." Allura gazed back at him, her eyes filled with sadness and regret.

"Lance, maybe...maybe it's time you let me go." He bit his lip and frowned, a small growl leaving his lips, no matter how cruel and heartless it seemed, he didn't want her to rest, didn't want her to be completely gone. She was the only thing that remained from a time when things had been beautiful and simple, when hopelessness and despair hadn't overwhelmed every aspect of his life.

He was a selfish man, and the worst part was, he didn't care.

Lance closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, tired, always so, so tired. "You know you are free to do what you want, Allura, I never put any restrictions or boundaries on your AI, if you want to unplug yourself, you're free to do it. If you want to leave or power off or whatever, you can do that too." The princess opened her mouth before closing it again, eyes downcast and expression solemn, resigned.

"You know I would never do that to you, I wouldn't go against your wishes, despite my freedom to chose." She stood up and walked towards the counter, hands clasped tight as she took a seat opposite to him once again. "By the way, when are you going to cut your hair?" Lance blinked, the change of topic too fast for him to catch up, and he ran a hand absent mindedly through his long tresses, humming in thought.

"Yeah....I was thinking of doing it soon, that experiment was a fucking failure, and the money they paid for it didn't even cover what I had to go through. I ended up dizzy, hallucinating, and with a new head of long hair that annoyed the hell out of me, aside from giving me a raging headache." Allura's smile was forlorn, like she wanted to say many things but was restraining herself, and, ultimately, she didn't interrupt him, and he continued talking.

"But I dont have time for pleasantries right now, I need to get more supplies, since those fuckers backed out every single time. I'm honestly beginning to regret trusting the info they gave me." He groaned and rested his forehead roughly on the tabletop, eyes narrowing as he thought of his next move, what places he could go to next, maybe some underground black market with little security.....but those were few and far between, and the last one he'd been to, he'd nearly been sold off as an organ donor.

Like, they cut him up and wanted to take his heart and lungs and stuff out to sell them, and honestly, if they'd paid him enough Gac, he would've been glad to give out a kidney or two, god knows he needed the money, but they weren't willing to pay shit, so Lance blew their shop off, stitched his wound the best he could, and ran away.

His wanted poster still hung on the main hall.

He thought he looked handsome in it.

A sudden beep interrupted his reminiscing, and he took his comm device out of the pocket of his pants, introducing his password and clicking on the encrypted code, translating it instantly and grinning from ear to ear at the contact name of the person messaging him.

"What is it, Lance? You look eager." Allura's voice carried as it always did when she spoke from the speakers, and he looked up, a smirk taking over his face, glad to have something to distract himself with for the time being.

"Ehtyms contacted me again, they're the one that told me about the abandoned Galra camp on that swamp, you remember?" Allura pointed her index finger to her chin in thought, eyes squinting like she was raking through her database -wich she probably was- before her eyes opened wide and she 'oooh'-ed, clapping her hands in realization.

"Yes, it was that one, wasn't it? Were you managed to steal all of their supplies and fuel, leaving them unable to leave and with zero food, then you blew off their camp and burnt the forest to the ground, if I remember correctly." Allura frowned, her eyes holding that disapproving look she always gave him when he caused collateral damage.

"Indeed, those guys never saw it coming. So -he reclined on the chair- this is the same person, and they're telling me about some _really_ juicy stuff right now, they say there is going to be one big ass illegal auction on the black market on planet Xan, and that only a few select idiots will be able to go." The princess sighed, getting up and walking to stand next to him.

"And I'm guessing you're going to be one of those idiots, aren't you?" He let a wicked smile take over his face, a laugh bubbling up from his stomach as he felt adrenaline at the thought of being on another auction. An illegal one at that.

His last experience on one of those had been epic and spectacular, there had been death, blood, violence, drinking, theft, and a whole lot of punching....it had been _wonderful_. Mainly, he'd been the one doing the punching, and the theft....and the drinking.

And he'd even managed to smash a twelve thousand year old vase on the face of the guy who wanted to steal what little money Lance had....which had been stolen from the other guys, but that's besides the point.

The point is, that it had been exciting, and his contact was saying that a few peculiar objects were going to be auctioned, and he might be interested. So far, this contact had never been wrong, and he was pumped for another night of craziness and mayhem.

He was always up for that, nowadays.

"You bet your ass that I am. I trust this guy I never met with my life, if he says there's some nice shit, I bet my ass that it's gonna be lit, and I'm going to need all our saved money for this, I can feel it in my soul Allura, today is the day I hit the jackpot." The princess just shook her head, but transferred all of his money to his black card anyway, she had no need for it, and he'd been saving up with a very specific reason in mind. He had a feeling his wish would be fulfilled tonight.

"I wonder if they'll have some dynamite or C4 in there, I really need to restock. There's a Galran base on my quadrant that's been annoying me to no end, and I have to blow it up, like, pronto, they've been charging Gac from passing their stupid ass barrier, and I'm tired of their shit, maybe I'll find a cool bomb to blow them up with, who knows?" He stretched and got up from his chair, trying his hair in a quick bun and drinking the rest of his coffee.

"Prepare everything for departure Allura, I'm gonna take what I need and fly there right now, I don't want to miss the fun. Also, how is the armory right now? I might need to buy some shit." The princess looked ahead, unblinking, eyes becoming stark blue for a tick as she ran through the data, scanning the ship for anything necessary, broken, or in need of repairs.

"The armory has zero Nuclear Xianium bombs, or as you like to call them, C4, and the mini electromagnetic laser guided bombs are nearly out of stock, only two left. We are in need of proteinic food and mineral drinks, and the fissure from the East wing has opened again, repairs are advised. That's all, I think." He nodded, and Allura, with her report done, got up and fizzled out, going to prepare his ship so he could take off as soon as he wanted.

With that done, he ran to his room, took his duffel bag, filled it with junk food and some other items -and the last two mini bombs too because why not- and then proceeded to dress himself, all in black, like usual, never forgetting his cape-hoodie combo and his mask, the one he was forced to wear so no one would recognize him.

It sucked, and he was blind as a bat when he wore it, it was bad enough that he only could see from one eye, but add to that a ceramic mask with slits for eyes, and he was bumping and crashing onto stuff every five minutes. He had to kick one dude on the face that one time because he thought Lance had crashed him on purpose to steal his wallet, the guy had been wrong, and Lance had been petty and annoyed, so he'd kicked him hard on the nose -breaking it- and then knocked him out and proceeded to steal his wallet, just because.

It was what he had to do, thought, the mask thing, he couldn't afford to show his pretty face on an illegal auction, after all, the mayhem that it would bring forth too much for even Lance to take. So he put it on, took his bag and some daggers and stuff, and walked towards the hangar, where Allura was already waiting, face solemn and tight and worried.

"Be careful, Lance." He hummed, leaving his things inside the ship and turning around to look at her, eyes half lidded and mouth upturned, he hated when she said that to him, it always made him feel slightly guilty, because he never paid any heed to it.

"You know I always am." He boarded as quick as he could, but he still caught her farewell, her voice nothing but a whisper as her holographic form vanished in a drizzle of pixels.

"No, no, you're not." He lifted off and didn't look back, the anger and frustration swirling in the pit of his stomach making him bit his lip and snarl, gut boiling with the need to destroy something, anything belonging to the Galra.

Maybe he would pay a short visit to the outpost near his quadrant first.

It was long overdue.

\--

An hour and a handful of explosions later, he found himself at the black market, ship docked with a fake name after giving a nice bribe to the guy responsible for the docking bay. His rage and restlessness was dialed down now that he'd finally managed to destroy that Galran outpost that had been causing him nothing but trouble. Now no one would have to pay for passing over ' _their_ ' territory, and Lance would be free to come and go as he pleased without worrying that they would find the castle's hiding place.

Not that they ever would, it was hiding in a rift between realities, space and time meant nothing in there, and so far, no soldier or patrol had been able to pinpoint their location, so he hadn't been that worried. But it was better to strike first and take the threat down before it could evolve into a full blown nuisance, the best defense is a good offense, no?

He sighed behind his mask, cape fluttering behind him as the strong winds of planet Xan blew even in the underground passageways, trash and debris swirling around admist the chaos that was the black market. He walked straight ahead without bothering with anything else, he was there for a reason, and no amount of nice bodies or pretty faces trying to sweet talk him into spending money were going to convince him to do so.

He was at the door in less than ten minutes, the doorkeeper looking him up and down, the frown never leaving his face as he asked Lance for the password. Thank god he'd read the encrypted message till the end, if not, he might have had a tiny little bit of trouble.

" Glory to the mayhem and madness of those not bound by the rules." The gatekeeper nodded slowly, stepping away from the door and opening the latter for him, telling him the rules of the event, rules he already knew by heart and would not break unless it was strictly necessary.

As soon as he stepped into the building, he instantly recognized most of the people there, which was good news and bad news in equal measure. The bad news were mostly because some of the people he knew wanted him dead, punched on the face, or even more maimed than he already was. An with reason, since Lance had stolen from them, lied to them, tricked them and maybe sold them off to the police for some Gac that one time.

It was just one time, he'd been hungry, okay? He'd been desperate and annoyed and those guys had appeared out the corner of his eye as he caught sight of the wanted poster, it had been just.....coincidence. Though those guys didn't seem to think so, if the eyes boring holes into the back of his neck were anything to go by.

As for the good news, well... a lot of important people were assisting to the auction, he saw the duke of Elra, an avid collector and businessman, the leader of the Arisan mafia, Fhill, and his five bodyguards, ready to gather any interesting objects that he would later sell for at least three times their original price.

He also caught sight of Prince Nora, known for his creepy quirks and his love for torture, he was one of the best allies of the Galran empire after he killed his father to obtain the throne, and his name was feared by many. And he thought he even saw a regular on this kinds of events, someone only known by The Collector, a mysterious alien that paid exorbitant amounts of money for objects he found curious or to his liking. He collected anything, from organs, to vases, animals, food and even people.

The guy made no distinctions. And he was one of the best customers in the auctions.

So many famous and influential people gathered on the same place was a good thing, because it meant that whatever they had to offer today was going to be a one chance in your lifetime thing, and no one would risk missing it.

Not even Lance.

He walked ahead, spine straight and gait dignified and impassive, his steps never faltering even when growls and curses were directed at him, he knew they wouldn't actually do anything, those were the auction rules.

No fighting, no drinking, no violence and no discussion...until the auction ended.

After that, though, it was free game.

Lance rounded a chair with his number on it and sat quickly, catching his sign and waiting for the room to fill to the brim, he knew it was going to double in customers in a few minutes, everyone eager to get a piece of the pie would try to come in, and the building would get packed in a matter of minutes. Some aliens would sit on the ceiling while others did so on the beams supporting the structure, and a few would drap themselves over the breaking chandeliers and grapple onto the walls, awaiting for the show to commence.

A few ticks passed before a guy rose onto the stage, a microphone clutched on his hand as he greeted his public, eager and enthusiastic as just an illegal trader could be.

"Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen, to the best and unique auction that will only happen once in your lives. I'm seeing a lot of familiar faces here, and I hope you find what you're looking for, this time we have an assortment of articles tha will take your breath away, so be smart and ration your money, some things won't appear before your eyes ever again." The crowd hollered and whistled and screamed, and Lance joined them, whooping and cheering as he felt, deep inside his core, that today was the day he finally found what he'd been looking for.

He could almost taste the sweet flavor of success.

"We will begin this auction with a rare and often sought article, something that the empire would never want anyone getting their hands on." An alien woman came forth wheeling in a trolley, in which a very familiar object lay." A weapon created by the Olkari! A now extinct race that was well known for their incredible intelligence and their unusual way of creating machines and the like. Now, sirs, who wants to begin the bid?" As expected, everyone that intended to traffic or sell weapons bidded for it, thinking that if the analyzed it, they could find a way to recreate the weapons the Olkari did in the past and benefit from it.

Lance bidded for it at one point, a tactic he always used to pass off as inconspicuous, but he never planned on getting it in the first place, he was saving his money for the _thing_ , the one that he would know as soon as he laid eyes on it, whatever it was.

The auction continued on, sporting articles that varied in use and purpose, taken from all the corners of the universe, things that no one in the room had ever expected to see. Some of them where as surprising as a lock of Prince Lotor's hair, while others were less creepy and unusual as the engine of a broken teludav or a fragment of a scaultrite lens, the most normal ones being small things like outdated weapons and things related to races that no longer existed.

Lance continued with his strategy, bidding for some things without getting them in the end, except when some Altean clothes had come into play, and he'd bid and paid for them because he didn't want any suspicion to fall over him, and buying something always pleased the crowd.

It went on for more than an hour, and after what felt an eternity to him, the last objects were wheeled in, and as soon as his disinterested gaze fell on the article resting on the small table, his eyes widened and his mouth opened wide in disbelief. He felt his hands trembling and his eyes watering, throat tight and itching to let out a distressed whine, heart hammering inside his ribcage at an unhealty pace.

It was......

It was Keith's luxite blade.

Polished and shiny as he remembered it, a piece of cloth tied to the handle as the symbol of the Blade of Marmora stood proudly on the center of it. There was no mistaking it, that piece of cloth was the one that Kolivan gave Keith after a mission, and there was a crack on the edge, right were Keith had knocked out one Galran soldier after their ambush had failed.

There was no doubt about it. That sword belonged to Keith, and he was going to get it back even if it was the last ting he did.

His body trembled in anticipation as the announcer approached the table and held the blade high for everyone to see, awed gasps and incredulous murmurs reverberating around the room, everyone present whispering about the rarity of such an object.

"This, my dear clients, is one of the rarest and most sought after items that we had the fortune of finding. It's a luxite blade, who used to pertain to someone belonging to the organization called 'The Blade of Marmora' -awed shouts echoed throughout the chamber- a group that was disbanded and destroyed by Zarkon, even thought most of it's integrants were Galra themselves." Lance gulped in a shaky breath, hands itching to move, to make the guy talk faster and get on with it, his anxiousness couldn't take more dawdling around.

"As it's name says, it is made from a mineral called Luxite, strong at the par that flexible, and with mysterious powers that is said no one but those of Galran blood are able to wield. That said, who would like to begin the bid? This is a really special item, and we could get into trouble wit the empire for selling it...-laughs surrounded Lance- so, how about a thousand Gac for the first bid? Anyone?" The price was quickly accepted, and more and more people rose the money, no one wanted to give up, something like that only came by once in a lifetime, after all, and they weren't about to let it go. They were determined.

But so was Lance.

He rose the price in small quantities each time, some hundreds here, fifty Gac there, and watched as more and more bidders got singled out as the prices arrived to unimaginable levels, leaving only those rich or powerful fighting for victory.

He made his move.

"Ten thousand Gac." Gasps and shrieks filled the space around him, and he felt thousands of eyes gazing upon his figure as he held his sign high, back straight and voice neutral, even as he died and burnt inside with longing and ache, his desire for holding that piece of the past nearly overwhelming his mind and making him lose his composure.

Thank fuck he was a good actor.

The leader of the mafia, the duke and The Collector all fixated their eyes on him, boring holes into his mask as he ignored them and looked ahead, willing himself to wait, don't move, don't show weakness, they will exploit any single handicap they find, appear innamovible, uncaring.

Fool yourself to fool them too.

"Well, it seems I have lost this time. It was a good auction, though, so I will retire." The duke lowered his sign, eyes still narrowed even as he spoke of giving up. Lance knew better, that douche had tricked him once, and he'd ended up with three broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a meeting with his dear old friend death, who kicked him in the butt and sent him back to the world of the living because Lance can't catch a break, ever.

"I agree, it was money well spent, I think I will content myself with what I bought." Fhill motioned for his five bodyguards to take his possessions and load them on his ship, and he saluted everyone present before he, too, lowered his sign and retired from the auction. As he exited the room, though, he sought Lance from the corner of his eyes and sent him a smirk, the one that meant he was doing this while fully knowing that Lance wanted that sword more than anyone in that room, and that he was leaving as a favor.

A favor Lance was sure he was going to pay with interests.

That only left The Collector, and he wasn't sure if he could compete with the guy if he got serious, rumors said that he was unbeatable when bidding for something he really wanted, and there was only so much money Lance had. If it came to it, though, he could throw a bomb or whatever and kill the announcer, then take the blade and run for his life.

Although that would put him first on the most wanted list of people to kill, since illegal auctions were sacred to criminals, and those who disrespected the events and it's rules got a death sentence. If you had the back luck of someone recognizing you, you could bet your ass they would rattle you out to the committee, and you would never be safe from then on, your face would be the most known thing in the underworld until someone killed you or you killed yourself.

There were no other outcomes.

It wasn't Lance's most ideal plan, but for Keith's blade....for that piece of him, the memories and the feeling of home, he was ready to take on whatever they threw at him. He was no pushover after all, he was a man on a mission, and by god he was going to fucking succeed.

He gazed at the last wall between his desired item and himself, The Collector, one of the most terrifying creatures in the known universe -besides Zarkon- known for always -and I mean, always- getting what he wants, no matter the circumstances. Engaging in a fight with him may usually prove to be fatal, be it a bidding battle or a physical one, but Lance was desperate at this point, and so he waited for the other's decision, jaw clenched shut and eyes laser focused, not blinking, not breathing.

After what felt like hours, The Collector put down his sign, speaking in a tongue long dead and standing up, marching to the door as he took one last loot at Lance, his black hole like eyes feeling like they were reading upon his soul, gauging..something. Eventually, though, he nodded his head and left the room, an action that was followed by awed gasps and a feeling of disbelief from the attendants, the room erupting into murmurs and comments about such an unusual event.

The Collector was never outbided, he never gave un on an item, he never relented.

Why he did it this time, no one knew.

But the controversy it caused was surely going to be remembered in times to come.

"The Collector _left_? Just who is this masked guy?" An unknown voice to his left spoke, he ignored it, basking in the feeling of having accomplished a task long overdue.

"Nobody knows. He's called _Maske_ , although that's just the name people who have seen him in auctions have chosen. He's a strong as shit being, he was actually the one that caused the fight of Olvier -a gasp- or so the rumors say." The next voice, deeper and rough, answered with excitement, probably enjoying the gossip going on in the underworld.

"Fuck, that was some fight. I heard three Galran commanders were torn to pieces, and that any sentry or droid around were completely destroyed. Even some of the attendants ended up with broken bones and missing limbs, the auctioneers said the guy had high tech explosives" Well, that wasn't exactly accurate, he'd actually been trying to buy some stuff as discreetly as possible on that auction, what with Galran security being high and all. He'd been minding his own business when a rival bidder had thrown shit at him -figuratively- and the soldiers had been on his case in less than a tick.

Cover blown and life on the line, he'd done what any sane person would have.

He'd panicked and slapped some C4 onto the soldier's face, kicked another on the ribs and chucked a mini bomb at him, and then ran for the hills like a madman, detonating the explosives when he'd been far away enough.

He'd blown up the entire building, and everything was obliterated, the civilians -more like criminals- had been just collateral damage.

Needless to say, he'd never gone back to that particular planet, and wasn't planning to anytime soon.

"Yeah man, that was wild. I heard he's pretty chill, though, he just goes from auction to auction, bidding for things he likes and striking down anyone that tries to mess with him. Nobody knows his true identity or what species he is or anything, he's like a shadow, always hidden away until one of these illegal events happen."

"Well shit, we better not mess with him then. If even The Collector has deemed him dangerous enough to be left alone, I'm not gonna be the guy to discover why." A hum answered him, and the voices quieted, eyes expectant around him as he got up and walked to the stage to collect his prize, the beautiful purple of the blade drawing him in, mesmerizing and otherworldly as it had always been.

He stood before the announcer, making the transaction as quick as he could, giving him the money as soon as the sword was safe in his hands, clutched in a death grip, eyes shining with regret through his mask as he gazed at the gem with the symbol of the Blade in it.

"Thank you for your purchase, Maske, we hope to see you again soon." He barely glanced at the other, nodding his head and walking back to his seat, gathering his items and resting his sign face down, letting everyone know that he was done and leaving.

More whispers and gossip and chatter reverberated throughout the room as he left, but he didn't care, he finally had something he had longed for, for so long, so much time searching for it, the missing piece, a reminder of that which had been lost, a piece of his heart that had been crushed to pieces when everything fell apart.

He'd finally taken it back.

He willed himself not to cry.

A hand on his shoulder made him stop dead in his tracks, and he frowned as hard as he could, growling loudly and making the person behind him retreat their hand hastily. He didn't even have to turn around to know who was there to make his life harder than it was, the duke had always been a sore loser, but he liked to keep up appearances, so he hadn't attacked Lance back at the auction, didnt have the money or resources to do so.

But now, though?

Now that they were both out of the recint, everything was fair game, and Lance was ready to blow some steam and release the stress he'd been accumulating. And it just happened that the duke was kind enough to offer himself as a punching bag.

How kind of him.

Lance turned around and felt the smirk blooming on his face. Sheathing the blade and cracking his knuckles, he proceeded to vent his frustrations and anger onto the duke and his goons with reckless abandon.

Fifteen minutes and a deep satisfied sigh later, he was leaving behind a bloody mess and walking steadily to his ship, safely docked onto the shadiest -but most overlooked- part of the hangar. He boarded his small ship without trouble, waving goodbye at the guy he had perviously bribed, after doing so again for the cleanup down the hall that he would have to do.

It was a good thing no one asked questions on the underworld when money was involved.

As he took off and soared the stars, he felt a small smile forming on his face, lips stretching slightly and eyes closing in bliss, he felt lighter than he had in a long time, the blade cautiously sheathed on his hip a comforting weight, feeling familiar, warm.

It felt like he'd retrieved a part of his missing heart, something irreplaceable.

The feeling of home, of family, of warmth.

It made him feel less lonely, less dead inside. It felt like holding hands, tender caresses and warm arms around his waist, kisses on his cheek and on the nose, giggling and laughter that felt like it could light up his dark, somber world.

He drove home with his spirits lifted, knowing it wouldn't last long.

\--

As soon as he landed on the castle, the systems lit up, and in less than a tick, Allura was walking towards him, dress flowing after her, the pastel blue and red she'd chosen for today striking right home, kicking at Lance's heart and making him wince. He knew she didn't so it on purpose, but fuck if it hurt, and the blade on his hip suddenly weighted a ton, and instead of comforting it felt stifling, hot to the touch, scalding in the intensity of the emotions it evoked on him.

"Welcome back, Lance. Did you have any luck?" She titled her head, short hair curling around her jaw at the movement, voice thick with worry but also carrying a tired tint to it, eyes raking over his form as if searching for proof of success or failure.

"I did." He hadn't spoken a single word after the auction, and he noticed just now how wrecked he sounded, throat scratchy and voice cracking, feeling like he'd swallowed glass.

He slowly put his hand around the balde's hilt, taking his mask off with his free hand and letting it fall t the ground, the thud echoing loudly in the stillness of his home. Then, slowly, he took out the weapon, showing it to Allura, who gasped and covered her mouth with both hands, eyes shining although both of them knew she couldn't cry.

"That's.....is that...?" She stammered, voice heavy with feeling and sorrow.

"It is, it's Keith's luxite blade. I finally found it, after so long, I finally.....-he whimpered- I finally got it back. I'm sure I'm going to owe Fhill some favors, and that he'll force me do to some shady stuff, but I don't really care. I got it, I retrieved it, he's back home, back where he belongs....back with me." He smiled sadly, eyes never leaving the blade's edge. Until a heart breaking wail reached his ears, that is, and he had to look up and glance at Allura, her expression mournful and looking close to tears, lips trembling as she strided towards him.

"Lance, please stop this, this isn't healthy, it's been way too long...you need to let go." She reached her hand, trying to hold his shoulder, but it just ran right trough him, and her face fell even more, hands clenching into fists as her expression turned to pity and frustration.

"Don't you dare pity me! Don't you dare tell me I should let go! Do you think I can forgive what happened? Do you? Because I sure as hell can't! I will never forget what happened, what those filthy Galra took away from me! If you think for one second that I'l just stop and move on, let me tell you one thing." He leaned in on her space, eyes narrowed and brimming with hate, anger, a desire for revenge that would never sate, because he would never get back what was lost.

And he knew it better than anyone else, but he wasn't willing to give up or let go, his resentment went deeper than even he himself could understand, and he only continued on out of spite and a wish for retribution that didn't really help anything.

But fuck if he cared.

"I will never, _ever_ , move on until the last of them is dead." The princess backed away, silhouette destabilizing and growing fuzzy for a tick before becoming clear again, face twisted in anguish and pain, small pixel like tears falling from her eyes as she whimpered.

"I can't...I can't bear to see you like this anymore...you know nothing will change, the universe will go on no matter what you do, the Galra will never be defeated..." She sniffed and covered her eyes with her hands, voice muffled and dripping with regret.

" I only want for you to spend the rest of your life with your loved ones, I only want you to be happy....you don't know how many times I regretted bringing all of you into this war, you don't- you don't know how much it pains me to think of them, and seeing you like this, so full of rage and hatred..." She weeped softly, Lance's face twisting in remorse and surprise, guilt swirling deep in his gut.

"Where is the sweet Lance that braided my hair and painted my nails? Where is the caring boy who looked over Pidge and Hunk and made sure they weren't stressed and kept healthy? Where is the brother like teammate that made sure Shiro wasn't having nightmares? -she hiccuped- Where is- where is the soft young man that listened to Coran's stories and made him feel like he had a son once again?" Lance shuddered, taking in a shaky breath, body trembling slightly, eyes brimming with tears that he wouldn't let fall.

"Where is the loving boy who tried so hard to cover up his feelings, flirting and chatting and relaxing the tight atmosphere to put us all at ease? The compassionate, kind-hearted boy whom Keith-" He screamed.

"Stop it!!" He heaved, grip tight around the blade. " He's dead! That Lance is gone! You know this as well as I do! You know why! Why I can't be happy, why I can't let go of my anger, why I can't sleep and forget! I can never forget! Everytime I close my eyes I see it again! The image never leaves! And I'm sick and tired of _living_ and going on when it's pointless anyway! But I can't stop! I made a promise! If it weren't for that, I would have already-!" He stopped, jaw clinking shut, violent tremors raking his body in his grief.

"Lance...." The princess' voice was but a whisper, but it carried all her feelings, sadness, regret, anger, frustration, self-hate, longing, desperation, concern.

"I'm sorry....I never....I...oh _Lance_...." He couldn't take it anymore, he dropped everything but the blade and ran towards his room, the only place in the whole ship that Allura's AI didn't have access to, her systems restricted and unable to interact or even approach the area.

He didn't look back, even as she screamed out his name, even as her form tried to follow him, even as she cried and pleaded for him to stop. He didn't listen, he kept running, going headfist into his room and throwing himself onto the double bed, trying to regulate hs breathing as his heart beat way too fast, too irregular, his lungs burning as he tried to keep his sobs back.

It lasted a grand total of two minutes.

And then he was screaming, loud, grating his throat and his ears, voice getting weaker and weaker as he punched the wall and threw his covers away, ripping sheets and throwing shit around, uncaring of the noise he was making, his room was sonudproof, after all.

So he continued, sobs ripping free from his throat, mixing with screams, cries and whimpers and a desolation so deep it covered his soul and heart, impossible to scrub off, dyeing him permanently, black, so black, he felt like he was falling in a pit of despair.

He couldn't see the exit, couldn't see the light.

He yelled and sobbed and wept until his world tilted and he fell, blade clutched tight, digging into his skin and drawing blood, staining his sheets with red, the red he'd loved so much, the red he missed more than anything in the world, _his_ red.

Red filled his vision as he gave up, and passed out.

\--

_When he opened his eyes, he was on a field, a beautiful flower bed around him, trees and bushes and all kind fo plants surrounding him, the place brimming with life and color. He spotted a lake on the distance, it's surface shining and reflecting the blue sky, clouds drifting away as the sun dripped it's light onto every living being under it's care._

_It was like something taken out of a dream, too perfect to be real, too nice to be true, a place just like home in which he could relax and forget about everything, just forget about his troubles and give up for a while....he wanted to do that so badly...so..._

_He glanced ahead and saw a bench just under the shade of a tree, and sitting there, back to Lance, was someone with black hair and a red jacket and his feet were moving before he realized and he was sprinting and crying and tripping over himself in his haste._

_He rounded the bench and looked down, the person looking up as he hummed a nice tune, eyes lighting up in glee as he watched Lance, a sweet smile blooming on his face, eyes clinking as his voice filled Lance's ears._

_"Lance." It was just his name, nothing else, but he felt himself break, legs failing him as he kneeled on the floor, head resting on Keith's thighs as he cried, feeling like a small child but caring very little about it._

_"Oh Lance, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." A hand found it's way onto Lance's long hair, and began running it's fingers through it, the motions calming and soothing, his voice something that filled him with happiness at the same time that it made him cry harder._

_"K-Keith..." He clutched onto the other's leggings, shame long gone after so much time._

_"Don't cry, everything will be okay. You're doing so good, trying so hard, I know you're hurting right now, I know you hate everything and everyone right now. I did too, when I was younger." His voice was rough but sweet, and it flowed deep into Lance's core, comforting his aching soul and broken heart._

_"But everything will sort itself out, things will get better, just hold on for a bit longer. You're doing so well, you're being so brave, please don't give up, I know you want to, I know, and I hate myself for being the one that caused this." Hands clutched at Lance's forearms and brough him up with little effort, sitting him on Keith's lap as he cradled Lance's head on the crook of his neck, hand resting on his hip while the other caressed his cheek._

_"I hate to see you cry, seeing you in pain, I never wanted this to happen, if I had known..." A breathy sigh and then Keith was back to caressing Lance's face as he whimpered and sniffed on the other's neck, feeling small and vulnerable and lost and so, so tired._

_"I miss you.....I miss you so much....I couldn't even....I never got to say..." Lance felt himself tearing up again, and he only stopped himself because Keith was holding his head in his hands, gloves long gone, his skin marred and rough but so warm against his tear stained cheeks._

_"I know, Lance. I know, me too." Keith leaned in and dipped a small kiss onto his lips, and he felt himself close his eyes in bliss, some tears escaping his eyes and falling on Keith's hands, the red paladin landing another kiss on his closed lids, his cheek, his forehead, his lips again._

_He leaned their foreheads together, breath mingling in their closure, and Lance watched him, drank on every feature of him, all the beauty he never got to admire, the dip of his nose, his chiseled jaw, his long lashes and the dimples on his cheeks. The deep indigo color of his eyes that swirled with purple starlight, and the dark, midnight hair that fell over his face, like a curtain waiting to be brushed away to uncover the lovely sight under it._

_"I miss you too, and I'm more sorry than I could ever hope to explain. But don't give up hope, there's still a future waiting for us, you can still-"_

_"How can you ask that of me?" Lance's voice broke. "How can you tell me to hold on, after- he whimpered - after everything I had to endure, after all the pain and the loneliness?" Keith's face contorted in anguish, and Lance hated it, hated himself, that he was so weak. " I can't do this anymore, I'm so tired....hope? Future? What future? There is nothing waiting for me! If you're not there, then...then...what good is any future?!" Keith hugged him, tight and pained, and his arms trembled as he held him and Lance wanted to die._

_Truly. Desperately. There was nothing else he craved more than the respite of death._

_"No, no, no. Trust me -Lance did, always, forever- please believe in me, there is hope, there's a light, if you stay strong, if you hold on for a little more, we'll be reunited again, I don't lie, I would never lie to you. You know I wouldn't, never knew how anyway." That brough forth a small laugh from his lips, and Lance nuzzled Keith's neck as the other finally disentangled himself from him, eyes brimming with affection and warmth and love._

_Love._

_He loved him so much._

_So much it hurt._

_"You promise?" Voice small and full of the -always dangerous- hope, Lance held onto Keith's hands, the other squeezing back, eyes full of determination, a look he'd always cherished on the other, made his insides feel like mush and the butterflies in his stomach take flight._

_"I promise - a kiss on his cheek- I promise - one on his nose- I promise -one on his hand- Don't give up, keep on moving, I'll be waiting for you." Keith kissed his lips once again, soft, feathery, warm, and Lance melted and cried a little more, because he was happy, so happy, he never wanted this to end, never wanted to wake-_

_"See you later, my love." He barely had the time to open his eyes and catch a glimpse of Keith once again before the meadow was bathed in light, his surroundings fading away as he reached a hand towards Keith's back as the other walked away. And he thought he heard laughs and voices that sounded suspiciously like-_

_"No, no! Don't go! Please, don't- don't leave me all alone again!" Everything vanished, and the sound of his scream echoed back at him endlessly as he, too, faded away._

\--

He woke up with his hand reaching towards nothing, dream still fresh on his mind as he recalled every word, every touch, every caress and the sight of Keith's smile. He felt like crumbling, never had a dream been so cruel, so heart breakingly beautiful and devastating at the same time, his tears came unannounced and he was going to let them, his anger at the world and the universe all encompassing and endless.

Until he glanced at the blade on his hand.

His sheets were stained with blood, but his hand....there was nothing on it, no cuts, no blood, no injury to be treated or scar to remind him of his breakdown, his skin was soft and unblemished, although he was sure that he'd wrecked it as he fell asleep. His eyes widened even more as he caught the gem on the blade shining softly, the color reminding him of those eyes he loved so much, indigo and purple shining like starlight.

His tears stopped abruptly and he stopped breathing.

Had that been a _dream_? Had it been.....reality? Had it been caused by Keith's blade? Or by his subconscious as a means to try and keep him sane? What was real and what was not anyway? What was he supposed to believe?

The light shone bright for a second, the whisper of Keith's voice filing his mind, a promise of reunion, a promise of better days, a promise of a future together.

Dream or not, Keith had asked to trust him, and Lance did, with his whole being. He would try, for him, for his smile, he would hold on, keep going, no matter how much he wanted to end everything, no matter how much he craved eternal sleep.

For _Keith_ , he would do it, he would keep on moving forward.

Getting up, he left the blade on his bed and walked outside, yelping as he saw Allura slumped on the wall besides his door, systems malfunctioning and body fizzing in an out from being so close to a restricted area. He gaped and kneeled down before her, her eyes opening slightly as he tried to touch her, forgetting for a second that that was impossible.

"Allura! What are you doing here? Your systems are all over the place! You're going to go offline if this continues!" She smiled sadly, eyes shining with content.

"I wanted to apologize. I knew you were suffering, and even so, I made things more difficult for you. It's different for me, I'm way more detached due to my current state, and sometimes I'm too direct, sometimes I forget what emotional pain feels like, sometimes, my cognitive processes are more logical than thoughtful, and I end up hurting you." He shook his head, but she didn't relent, figure brimming with static and errors.

"I'm sorry Lance, I know I'm not of much help, and when I said I wanted you to be free and let me go, I didn't meant it like that. I don't want to leave you, and I do not expect you to forgive or forget, I just...." She stood up, and Lance did so too, expression tight. "I just want you to be able to smile again, it's been so long since I've seen you relaxed or happy, and selfish and impossible as it may be I just.....wanted to see it once more." He deflated and willed himself not to cry again, hands bringing up a holo keyboard and tapping in some commands, sending Allura to the lounge as he ran there to meet her.

She was sitting on the couch, programming realigning itself as her silhouette stopped flickering through all her different settings, settling finally on her short haired, pastel version that she liked so much, dark skin contrasting beautifully with her dress.

"Let me say sorry, too." The princess glanced up, surprised, hopeful. "I know things aren't easy for you either, what with your body being in a coma for....who knows how long. I've just been....so angry, this whole time, you were here, but it felt like I was alone, probably because I didn't care about reality enough to put in effort, but...the fact is that you were here, for me, staying strong and taking care of me, even when I didn't pay attention to you..." He plopped down besides her, tired, but feeling up for a talk since forever.

"I know you were worried about me, and I know I've made some stupid decisions all this time, nearly getting myself killed and stuff.....on purpose..." She rested her head on his shoulder, not really doing so, but trying to convey support, which he appreciated more than he let on.

"I just regret that I wasn't able to do more, I knew you felt lonely, and desperate, and that you were acting reckless and brash, but I never saw the true reason why, never saw your wish to disappear, never understood just how deep your sorrow was....and for that, I am sorry." He smiled small and pained, like always, but the echo of Keith's laugh filled his mind and it felt like a part of the weight he carried had been lifted off, and he sighed, worn out.

"It's not your fault, my mind had been messed up since day one, if you remember what happened afterwards. I lost my will to do anything, nothing meant shit to me anymore, in the end, only revenge and death made me feel alive, as ironic as that is." He slumped over the back of the couch, Allura glancing at him with a curious glint to her eyes.

"What has changed, then? You feel bright, and....lighter?" She tilted her head, and he felt a small laugh bubble up in his throat, the sensation feeling alien, like he hadn't done so in years....which wasn't far from the truth.

He let it out, the phantom feeling of hands in his hair and lips over his own never forgotten as he laughed, eyes moist but clear, clearer that they had ever been.

"I had a dream." She let out a confused noise. "A dream of a better tomorrow, of laughs and warmth and a future in which I can hold his hand and walk together. I had a dream of happiness, of hope, of holding on until the universe decides enough is enough."

The princess let out one of the biggest smiles he'd ever seen, and Lance felt like something had shifted, changed, he felt inside his core the restlessness of a promise long overdue, and he vowed to try and keep living, if only because Keith had asked so of him.

He prayed he wouldn't regret his decision.

He hoped Keith hadn't lied to him, that it had been, indeed, more than a dream, and not just his mind fooling himself to preserve his life.

That would have been a fate way more cruel than death.

\--

The next days were, as expected, difficult to tackle, and as much as he'd vowed to keep on going, that didn't mean he was going to change his methods. Time had changed him, and he had become ruthless and merciless -Fhill's words- but he always came out of his missions and stuff unharmed and successful, so no one had any complains. And Lance wasn't about to be all goodie goodie just because he was kinda hopeful about....something uknown that someone in a dream had left faint clues about.

Doubt ate at his mind like a tide swallowing up the shore, and each day that passed, the will and solace he found in that dream diminished more and more, until he was nearly back to square one, mad, sad, full of anger and a deep feeling of betrayal.

He sighed for the umpteenth time and held onto his blaster, tweaked as it was, the gun was ten times more brutal than it had been when he was seventeen, and he had no trouble infiltrating the mansion, blowing up any guards and looking for the main room.

As he had expected, a few days after his emotional breakdown, Fhill had contacted him, asking for a, quote, _'small favor'_ for letting him win the auction, and Lance had predicted murder, blood, theft, and a lot of running around. He was right on four out of four, and the small favor the mafia leader had asked of him was more of an oddysey, but his sometimes friend slash enemy had said that the mission wouldn't be too difficult with his skill level, and true to his word, Lance had no trouble infiltrating the manor and getting on with it.

He just had to murder a guy that owed a lot of Gac to the mafia, steal a gem that was worth the sum he had in debt, and then run away to a planet where the exchange would be made. It was all nice and dandy, but Fhill had forgotten to mention that the owner had at his service the latest models of the new Droid Soldiers; series #0023A, which could kick ass and give him a run for his money.

He would need to have a talk with Fhill if he ever wanted Lance's cooperation again.

He continued to run amongst the hallways, shooting like a madman -but never missing his mark- and eventually, he found the main room, and on the center, sitting on a lavished chair drinking wine, was Ertag Fhastus, a collector that had asked money from the mafia for some of his last purchases, and couldn't give back the stipulated amount plus interests.

And that's why you never ask for a loan form the mafia.

He pointed his gun at the alien and watched as the other tried to hide his nervousness, opening his mouth to beg mercy, no doubt.

"I see they finally sent you, the Blue Reaper, the freelance killer and mercenary for all things dirty or illegal. I should feel honored they think me a threat so dangerous as to send you, I suppose." Lance hummed, finger on the trigger and ready to fire, bored out of his mind.

"I think, though, that we can solve this in a more....diplomatic manner, don't you think?" He just tilted his head and waited, ready to see what that idiot had to say. "I heard you fancy objects related to the last hero...Voltron." He froze, eyes widening behind his blue mask as he clutched his blaster tighter, mouth upturned in disgust.

"Ah...I see they were right. If that's so, I'm willing to...make a trade, a compromise, if you wish." He clicked a button and a panel opened up, inside, cabinets upon cabinets were filled with mysterious objects that were of no interest to Lance, until his eyes landed on the last one, a big cabinet that had inside something he recognized....

"I see you already have your sights on it, good eyes, you have. This is a-" A shot ran throughout the room, and a tick later Ertag fell to the ground, dead, and Lance had to breathe slow and deep as to not puke right there and then, his anger flowing hot through his veins at the sight.

Inside the case, a Galran robotic arm stood proud, cables and other stuff coming out of it, the hand shining white and purple sometimes as the connections powered right. It was a disgusting display, and he wanted nothing more than to blow that mansion with everything in it after taking the gem he needed.

So he did.

He stuck some C4 onto the walls of the room, got the shit he needed out of there, made sure no civilians were close by, and then, with a last, sorrowful look towards the arm that he had once seen everyday, he ran outside as fast as he could, boarded his ship, and clicked on the switch that made the place blow up.

He watched in satisfaction as the whole building shook, cracks emerging everywhere, and a tick later, everything fell down, the earth shattered and all the land surrounding the manor crashed, rubble covering the whole place.

He growled in his mind. _'I hope it stays that way, son of a bitch.'_

He flew away, and put in the commands to his new destination; the planet to exchange the gem and give it to Fhill, who would, hopefully, leave him alone after this. He decided a nap was necessary, and closed his eyes with images of flowers and a lake filling his mind.

\--

_A clock ticking._

'Time moves forward.'

_'I hope it will end soon.'_

**'Me too.'**

_'I can't bear to see him like this.'_

**'You need to be strong, for him.'**

'I know he will be able to do this, trust him.'

_'I know, I know he will but....he's breaking and I....I hate that I'm the one that caused this.'_

**'Don't beat yourself over this anymore, it's been a log time now, you know?'**

_'That just makes it worse, he's been suffering for too long, and I can't even be by his side.'_

'It won't be long now, the time is growing near, all of our efforts will come to fruition soon.'

_'I hope you're right, I hate this.'_

'We do, too, man, but, it's not as if we could do anything as it is...'

**'Yeah, it sucks, but watching over him is the only thing we can do, until...'**

**'Just, keep reaching, keep hoping, everything will be okay in the end.'**

_'I know....I-....I know.'_

_'Sleep well, sweetheart.'_

_A kiss on his lips._

_The ticking of the clock stopped._

_Something rumbled._

_It felt like a growl._

_It felt like Blue._

\--

He woke up with a gasp, hand touching his lips and clutching his chest in desperation, his heart beating out of his ribcage with the intensity of the emotions running rampant inside his mind.

_'What was that? What the hell-?'_

He breathed in and tried to calm himself, noticing that he had arrived at the coordinates for the exchange, a barren planet with some grey rocks jutting out the surface, looking, for all intents and purposes, dead and of no importance to the empire.

Which of course made it attractive for mafioso and illegal traders and the like to do their business, it was still dangerous to do those things on Galran territory, but fuck if they cared, the empire had a tight leash on every living being on the universe, but they didnt give a fuck.

Murder, theft, kidnapping, illegal actions of any kind....people might be under Zarkon's reign, but they sure as hell didn't follow any of his rules or cared for his ideals.

It was a plus on this god forsaken world he had to live into.

Previous turmoil soon forgotten with the matter at hand being more urgent, he took the gem, landed as swiftly as he could, and walked, bayard in hand, towards the only ship other than his on the surface. If he had to compare, while Lance drove a used old as hell Corolla, Fhill had a fucking Maserati, and it was hilarious as it was stupid, since it was only a trade, he should have been more inconspicuous.

Bur Fhill liked to things ' _A lo grande_ ' and always with ' _Style'_ , so he saw it coming.

He walked until the mafioso was in front of him, and Lance tossed him the gem without a care in the world, waiting for the verdict on his small favor, as he'd called it.

"Good job, Blue, I didn't expect less from you." Lance only hummed, using his distorter to change his voice.

"That's nice and all, but I hope you'll leave me alone for a while, I actually have things to do besides doing errands for you, you know?" Fhill smiled, and it was terribly warped on his face, terrifying, actually, if Lance had the ability to be scared anymore.

"Like destroying Galran bases and outposts, I suppose?" He froze, finger searching for the trigger. " But do not fret, you do us all a favor with that, no one likes to be subdued, and we can run our business way smoother when they're out of the picture or focused on _you_." Lance was still tense, but less wary than before, Fhill knew better than to mess with him.

"So yes, for now, you're off the hook, we are even. I hope we can cooperate again, Blue, someday." The mafioso took off in his shiny expensive ship, and Lance frowned and plopped down on the ground, taking his mask off as soon as any live readings were out of range.

"That motherfucker, I swear to god. Of course he would know what I'm doing, _of course,_ " He sighed. "That slimy, tricky son of a mother, he has me right were he wants me, doesn't he?" He fell back and landed with a thud on the cold, hard ground, staring up at the purple sky he had a feeling he'd seen before, but couldn't pinpoint where.

He was about to leave when a light caught his attention, coming from one of the rocks on his left, and curiosity got the best of him, eyes narrowing as he tried to see what it was. He rested his hand on the rock and began brushing away the dirt and soot that covered it, and after five minutes of work, he suddenly knew why the sky seemed familiar.

He was on a Balmera.

Holy shit.

The rock was actually a Balmeran crystal, said to be extinct when Zarkon decimated all of them, in an effort to stop anyone that dared try and fight him to actually have their energy and power on their side.

His eyes watered as he remembered the Balmera of his past, and he rested his palm against the beautiful colors of the stone as the light intensified, and he gasped as a sweet melodic voice filled his head.

_'At long last....you've returned.'_

He withdrew his hand. "What the fuck? Wait, wait...the Balmerans said...they said they could talk to them, so maybe...maybe she's still alive?" He put his hands against it again, and listened to the voice, clearer than it had been before, full of determination and desire and purpose.

_'My children are long gone....but I remember them. I remember you.'_

"You do?" He tilted his head, confused.

_'Yes, you were hurt, your friends wanted to save you, they asked for a crystal to make you healthy again. I remember, I know.'_

He gasped, this was....it was Shay's Balmera? The first one they had ever visited, the one in which he'd nearly died and was stuck in a cryopod, and afterwards they had to go back and save Shay and her tribe from the Galra.

"I can't believe you're still alive....after all this time..." She hummed, voice soft, barely a whisper, melodic and sweet and so full of sorrow, yet resolute, persistent.

_'I am, yes, but not for long, my life it's nearing it's end. I was waiting for you, for this day, we've been waiting for so long.'_

"Waiting...for me? For what? What do you mean?"

_'The universe is in Zarkon's clutches, everything is withering, dying, no soul is free to thrive and prosper, life is vanishing as we speak, he must be stopped.'_

He deflated, shaking his head as a small, pathetic laugh left his lips. "It's impossible, anyone that dared oppose him is dead, there is no one left in the universe that could defeat him -he gulped- not anymore."

_'Maybe not now, but back then.'_

"What? I don't understand."

_'We've been gathering, waiting, for you, just for you, we give this present to you, Blue, so you can make things right, so you can save this world....that world.'_

He gaped, still not understanding what she meant, what she wanted. "It's impossible, I told you! What do you expect me to do? Haven't I already done _enough_? Haven't I suffered enough? What do you expect me to do all alone!" His shout echoed around him, as well as the sob that ripped itself free from his throat.

_'You're not alone, all of them shared their light to this gift, Humans, Alteans, Balmerans, Olkari, lions -he gasped, crying- mermaids, Galra....everyone shared what they could, for their hope....for you.'_

"What- wha-....what is...?" He stuttered and shook, tears falling down his cheeks.

_'All this quintessence is a gift for you, our last hope. You have one chance, only one, to make things right, search for the turning point, the moment everything went wrong, and change it.'_

He stopped breathing, chest hurting as he coughed and heaved. "Are you....are you telling me I...I can change the past?" Voice hysterical, Lance wept, too cruel, this was too much.

_'Yes, you have one chance, one letter, one message to write, to send to the past before my life runs out, one moment in time, one instance. Choose wisely, decide, when was the moment everything shifted? When was the time the hope left your eyes? When was the moment you decided this war was not worth fighting anymore? When did you give up?'_

He didn't even have to think, he knew the exact moment his world had come crashing down on him, remembered it as clear as day, the pain never left, even after all this time. He sobbed and cried and fell onto his knees, the prospect of changing this, of making a future of laughter and smiles come to happen was real, in reach of his hand if he outstretched it.

_'Write, convey, send yourself, past you, a letter that will let him right the wrong that wrecked the universe, tell him everything, what you believe is important, this is our hope, your hope, if you can change the past, the future will be brighter than you could have ever imagined.'_

He brushed away his tears, eyes burning with resolve.

"So I just have to write a letter, yeah? And then w-what?" Hicupping and still disbelieving, he gathered all the info he could, he didn't want to mess up, couldn't afford to mess up, this was what Keith had been talking about, he hadn't lied, he didn't lie....

_'Come back to me before my life runs short, three days at most....I- we will send the letter back, to the time and place you wish so, but remember, chose wisely, only one chance, one moment in time.'_

"I...I will, I will." He drew his hand back and staggered, mind still reeling, but his feet carried him to his ship and towards the castle, echoes of laughter and caresses and kisses making him cry once again, but this time, in happiness, with the promise of a better future just in front of him.

He didn't even glance at Allura as he landed, just saying sorry before he entered his room, looking for pen and paper -he knew his own writing, it would be more believable for past him- and threw himself into writing, everything since that moment when his life went to shit.

Even when his hand cramped and his wrist ached, he didn't stop. Even as hunger and sleep weighed him down, he didn't stop. Even when he grew dizzy and his eyes blurred and watered, he didn't stop writing, he didn't rest once, never slept, drank more space coffee than it was healthy, and barely moved to use the bathroom.

And finally, on the third day, at 6:00 AM (Spacetime), he was done.

And he rapidly left his room, crashing onto walls and stairs as he left for his ship.

"Lance, Lance wait! What's going on? You look horrible! It's been three days and you haven't left your room once!" Allura ran towards him, concern etched on her youthful face.

"I'm sorry Allura, I don't have time, I have to go!" He fell down the steps leading to the hangar, clutching the letter tight to his chest as he heaved for breath, wheezing and coughing as he stood up, limping all the way to his small ship, the princess hot on his heels.

"What do you mean there's no time? What's going on? You look ill, have you even slept?" He shook his head, boarding and switching on all the systems, sweating buckets as he willed himself to not pass out, tiredness, sleep and a ranging headache weighing him down, adrenaline and pure, unadulterated hope being the only thing keeping him upright.

"Allura, I...I'm going to make our dreams come true." He looked her right in the eyes, more serious and focused than he had ever been before." I'm going to create a future in which all of us can smile happily, a future full of laughter and hope, a future in which I can hold his hand and walk towards a life together ." Allura straightened, face stony but still caring and full of trust, she'd never once doubted him, not once in all the time they'd been together.

"I see, then.....Go, be great." He laughed before he could stop himself, and she shared his sentiment, face lighting up even if concern and anxiety swept over her features.

"You always loved that phrase, Shiro used to say it all the time." He roared the engine.

"He did, and I took on that baton after him, hoping to motivate you just as he did."

"Well, you did an awesome job at it. I'm sorry I was such a handful, Allura, I appreciate all your efforts more than you will ever know. Thank you for all you've done for me." The princess approached and stood before him, hands clasped together.

"Is this goodbye, then?" He shook his head, then nodded, he didn't know.

"I don't know, but I want you to know how much I love you, and how much it means to me that you've always stayed by my side, no matter what." She smiled, short and sweet, and pressed her lips against his cheek for a tick, the feeling of static tickling his skin as she drew back, doing a twirl and changing into her pink armor, looking ready to battle.

"Go, soldier! Go do what you know best!" She saluted and sent him off with the most wicked and proud look she could manage, eyes alight with a fire that had seemed to dim a long time ago.

"Yes ma'am!" He saluted back, and flew fast and reckless towards the Balmera, eyes burning with the same fire that had ignited in Allura's heart, all consuming and scorching, destroying his fear and doubt and leaving behind nothing but ashes.

\--

He landed on the Balmera headfirst, looking disheveled and dirty, probably smelling of sweat and god knows what else, his ship was totaled, too, unable to fly, but right now, in that moment, nothing mattered. Nothing besides making sure that letter was sent back to past him; past him who was an insecure idiot, who hid his feelings and held back, who doubted himself and his skills and felt inferior and pathetic.

Past him who was now his only hope.

He ran towards the Balmeran crystal, and laid his palm gently against it once more, feeling the planet react to his touch, reaching, hopeful, yearning.

_'You've returned, my life is nearly gone, no more than a day left of me.'_

"I'm sorry." He bit his lip, truly feeling sad for such a beautiful life ending this way.

_'Do not, this is my wish, all of ours. We live for you, gathered for you, all of us, waiting, watching over you, we cried with you, suffered with you, we only prayed for this day to come sooner. Alas, it was not meant to be...until today.'_

He nodded."I get it, it's not your fault..if I...if I had tried harder, I'm sure....I'm sure I would have been able to change things, but I was angry, and mad, and felt like the world had turned against me...I had given up without even knowing."

_'We have little time, Blue, let's begin, what shall I do? When should we sent it? Picture it, picture the exact moment when you want this letter to be, what place, what time, what day, imagine.....let that thought flood your mind, send it to me.'_

".....The day when Keith began training with the Blade of Marmora, at 7:00 PM, in my own room, under the bed, inside a box with a diary not even Hunk knew about...ten years ago."

He pictured it, Keith wearing the Blade's suit, going on more and more missions, neglecting his duties as the leader of Voltron, intent on getting Shiro to be the Black paladin again. The first day he'd done that, coming back bruised and tired, not talking with anyone and not listening to Allura's pleas, Lance looking at them from the corner of his eye.

He remembers, going to his room in a mad haze, wanting to write on his diary just how selfish and stupid Keith was for not wanting to stay leader, not seeing how good he and Lance were with the co-leadership they had going on. He imagines that time, ten years ago, when he'd reached for that box under his bed, and he sees, he wants to see, a long written letter, holding all his regrets and sorrows.

And he prays, and hopes against hope, that his past self will make things right

_'It is done, the letter has been sent, now, we wait.'_

"Please....-he wept sotfly- please, don't fail me....please...." His last thought as he passed out, was of a time long past, in which he laughed and smiled, with his family by his side.

_-Ten years ago-_

"Ugh, I mean, c'mon Hunk, he's being so emo! Just, what does the Blade have that we don't?" He seethed, mad and really ticked off by Keith, going away again to play soldier with the Galrans, as if they didn't need him, as if his leadership was something they could go on without.

"Probably the suits. Definitely the suits, I mean, have you looked at them? They look pretty epic and comfortable." Lance tried to will that image from his mind, picturing Keith's biceps and the curve of his waist in that skin tight suit was doing his heart no good, he nearly choked.

"I don't care, he belongs with us, not with those tall creeps! They never smile, Hunk, ever! That can't be healthy for someone as somber as Keith!" His best friend smiled at him, patting his back and walking ahead to go to the kitchen.

"And why don't you tell him that? I'm sure he would listen to you." Lance sputtered, cheeks heating up and ready to counter with some witty explanation. But he got nothing.

The only reason he didn't say anything was because he was scared, he was a coward, and he was pretty much gonna take his secret with himself to the grave, pride be damned. He didn't have problems with being friendly and a right hand to Keith when he needed it, but anymore than that and....and he got sweaty, his heart began doing somersaults inside his chest, and he felt like if he looked him right on the eyes, his face was going to combust.

No, thanks.

He was pathetic enough as it was.

He reached his room and closed the door with a password -it was password, he was so smart- the proceeded to take his secret box from under his bed, sitting cross-legged on it and opening the lid to collect his diary, ready to write about Keith and how frustrating he was.

He was writing down his experiences to show his mom when he came home, or his psychiatrist, whichever came first.

What he found, though, was something he had never seen, sitting innocently above his book, an envelope with the name Lance McClain written on neat cursive on the front, a writing he recognized as his own, but couldn't remember having ever done.

"The heck? Did Hunk come in snooping again? I wouldn't put it past him...." He opened the letter or whatever it was, reading the first few lines in a bored stupor, mostly out of curiosity than anything else.

' _First of all, if you find this letter -and I pray you will-, I want you to understand just how important what I'm about to tell you is, lives are at stake, and you need to read untill the end to know why this was partly our fault -the team's too- and why it needs to be settled right. You probably won't believe a word I say, but this is me, Lance McClain, from ten years into the future, sending a letter back to you, ten years ago, hoping that you can prevent a horrible future from happening.'_

"The fuck? What kind of sick joke is this?" His eyes raked over the words weakly ready to burst out of his room and smack whoever thought this was a nice prank. Even thought he would recognize his own writing anywhere and his body shuddered as he read a few words, not really willing to go over the whole thing.

"Let's see.... _'I'll put in some happenings first so you get into your thick skull just how real this is, because I know you/me....Hunk will trip and fall headfirst into the goo..'_ yeah right, ' _Pidge will let her rover fall and it will break her latest creation, and in her anger she'll smack Allura, who will glare at her for the remaining of breakfast..'_ not likely to happen... _'Keith will come in looking miserable, and he'll sit besides you, trying to start a conversation going like 'How was your day?' Don't be a dick to him, talk back, be nice.....or you'll regret it afterwards'_....Ooookay, this is stupid, I'm going to leave this here and come back later, after breakfast, when I finally find out just who thought pranking me was a good idea." He left and walked ahead to the kitchen, chatting it up with Hunk as the others filled the room, noise and voices making it feel a litte more like home.

It took him a grand total of fifteen minutes to go running back to his room and close the door once more, gripping the letter tight in his hands, eyes wide as saucers as he tried not to hyperventilate.

"Oh god, oh god, it happened, Hunk fell, Pidge broke the thing and smacked Allura, Keith....Keith tried to talk to me and I was nice...-er, and he actually smiled and I-?" He shook, breaths coming in short gasps as he glanced at the words, written by his own hands no doubt, from....from ten years from now?

"Preventing a horrible future? What the fuck does that mean? What...? What happened?" He closed his eyes, terrified, but willing to listen to himself, himself who had shed blood onto the margins of the pages, who dropped tears and stained the sheets as he wrote...who seemed desperate to change things Lance knew nothing about.

Scared, disbelieving, and more than a little disturbed, he sat against the headboard of the bed, and began reading again from the beginning, hands shaking in anticipation and apprehension in equal parts.

_''First of all, if you find this letter -and I pray you will-, I want you to understand just how important what I'm about to tell you is, lives are at stake, and you need to read untill the end to know why this was partly our fault -the team's too- and why it needs to be settled right. You probably won't believe a word I say, but this is me, Lance McClain, from ten years into the future, sending a letter back to you, ten years ago, hoping that you can prevent a horrible future from happening.'_

_'I'll put in some happenings first so you get into your thick skull just how real this is, because I know you/me well enough to know you will doubt every word in this letter until proven wrong. First of all, Hunk will trip and fall headfirst into the goo, and you will laugh as you help him wipe his face, smiling all the while. Afterwards, Pidge will let her rover fall and it will break her latest creation, and in her anger she'll smack Allura, who will glare at her for the remaining of breakfast, making you giggle and pinch Pidge's cheeks for a while.'_

_'Keith will come in looking miserable a bit later, and he'll sit besides you, trying to start a conversation, going like 'How was your day?' Don't be a dick to him, talk back, be nice.....or you'll regret it afterwards, believe me when I say so. Also, if you need more proof...well, remember seventh grade? Alissa Jones and her ribbons? That thing we swore to never tell anyone? Yeah well, here's your proof.'_

He gaped, face scarlet and paling at the same time....he'd never told anyone about that, absolutely no one, and Alissa had moved some time later, so she never told anyone either...this was....this was real...it couldn't.....

He continued reading.

_'You with me? Great, because I'm going to tell you the story of how the universe got fucked up, how I, Lance McClain, tried to keep things together, only to fail miserably in my grief and anger, messing everything up even more. I'm going to tell you the story that awaits you if you don't change things, I'm going to tell you the tale of how I lost everything I held dear.'_

Lance breathed in, then out, and as his eyes read the next phrase his whole world came crashing down on him, and he swore his heart stopped beating, lungs seizing as he whimpered, not wanting to believe, not wanting to acknowledge it was true.

_'It all began with Keith's death.'_

**Author's Note:**

> Loosely based on the anime/manga Orange, and i mean, very loosely.
> 
> Come scream at me on tumblr: https://ultiwrites.tumblr.com/


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